How EU could make GMO crop regulations more scientific

This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation.

In recent years, the EU legislation on genetically modified (GM) crops has come under severe criticism. Among the arguments are that the present legislation is inconsistent, disproportionate, obsolete from a scientific point of view, and vague in terms of its scope.

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Drawing on literature in the field, it could be argued that regulations in the food and feed areas should minimally satisfy four legal principles and criteria: legal certainty, non–discrimination, proportionality, and scientific adaptability.

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[Regarding] the choice between a process and product-based legislation for GM varieties, it is reasonable to assume that the former will accommodate a greater breadth of preferences and values concerning food production than a product-based system can do. In addition, it might be difficult to meet public requests for product labeling without discriminating the technology as such—and a system in which product labeling does not work would thwart the development of alternative agricultural practices, such as organic farming. However, this should not prevent us from thinking that the EU regulatory system could and should be more finely-tuned so that the investigative requirements are more adapted to the real risks and to the impacts of the new traits themselves.

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